Proverbs 15:23 A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season how good is it!

A word in due season – how good is it. We read the prophesy about Jesus and how he spoke a word in season to those who were weary of sin.

Isaiah 50:4 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.

This is a prophecy about Jesus and this is how Jesus was. He spoke a word in due season to those that were weary.

He walked among the thoughtless, the rude, the uncourteous; amid the unjust publicans, the reckless prodigals, the unrighteous Samaritans, the heathen soldiers, the rough peasants, and the mixed multitude. He spoke a word of sympathy here and a word there, as He saw men weary, yet compelled to bear heavy burdens. He shared their burdens, and repeated to them the lessons He had learned from nature, of the love, the kindness, the goodness of God. {DA 90.3}

Jesus had a lot of sympathy for humanity and he spoke a sympathetic word here and there for the sake of these poor weary souls. Jesus had such sympathy for humanity, that not only did he speak a word in season he acted for their relief. Indeed at one stage Jesus disrupted a whole funeral. We find that story in Luke where his heart was touched with sympathy and there he spoiled the funeral that they were going to have so that they never completed it at that stage. This is referring to the widow of Nain and the words Jesus spoke to her.

Luke 7:13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

As they draw near, a funeral train is seen coming from the gates. With slow, sad steps it is proceeding to the place of burial. On an open bier carried in front is the body of the dead, and about it are the mourners, filling the air with their wailing cries. All the people of the town seem to have gathered to show their respect for the dead and their sympathy with the bereaved. {DA 318.2}

It was a sight to awaken sympathy. The deceased was the only son of his mother, and she a widow. The lonely mourner was following to the grave her sole earthly support and comfort. “When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her.” As she moved on blindly, weeping, noting not His presence, He came close beside her, and gently said, “Weep not.” Jesus was about to change her grief to joy, yet He could not forbear this expression of tender sympathy. {DA 318.3}

Jesus brought her son back to life. This is Jesus, he is a beautiful sympathetic person and this character has been much maligned and misrepresented by Satan. People don’t think that God is sympathetic but Jesus sympathises with our sufferings and trials. He knows what we feel like because he’s been there. He’s lived a life on this earth and been through all the troubles that we have to meet showing you the character of Jesus here what type of person he was and is.

Mathew 14:14
And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

We know he healed many lepers too, these poor souls that no one else would touch. Yes God is a compassionate being, merciful, long suffering, having great sympathy for mankind. Let us be mindful that in the previous example the widow woman of Nain had the whole town sympathizing for her but listen to this statement.

Christ’s words, so comforting and cheering to those that listened to them, are for us today. As a faithful shepherd knows and cares for his sheep, so Christ cares for his children. He knows the trials and difficulties surrounding each one. “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd,” declares Isaiah; “he shall gather the lambs with his arms, and carry them in his bosom.” Christ knows his sheep intimately, and the suffering and helpless are objects of his special care. He gave his life for them, and he knows their wants as no one else can. {RH, May 18, 1897 par. 4}

Christ has weighed every human affliction, every human sorrow. He bears the weight of the yoke for every soul that yokes up with him. He knows the sorrows which we feel to the depth of our being, and which we cannot express. If no human heart is aroused to sympathy for us, we need not feel that we are without sympathy. Christ knows; and he says, Look unto me, and live. “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” I have borne your griefs and carried your sorrows. You have the deepest, richest sympathy in the tender, pitying love of your Shepherd. “We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” His humanity is not lost in the exalted character of his Omnipotence. He is ever longing to pour out his sympathy and love upon those whom he has chosen, and who will respond to his invitation. {RH, May 18, 1897 par. 5}

If no one else has sympathy for you, Jesus will. Jesus sympathises with us even though the dark clouds enclose us. As we endeavour to sympathise with Jesus, we too need to sympathise with the poor needy souls but often instead of sympathizing with people, with those who are weary, we lay upon them extra burdens. I want to explain how we do this because they are already weary. Most people are pretty heavily burdened as it is and they don’t need extra burdens. The people out there have a great burden and the heaviest burden that they carry is sin.

Psalms 38:4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

He was crushed down by the weight of his guilt. Sin is the heaviest burden man has to carry.

“Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” {DA 328.1}

These words of comfort were spoken to the multitude that followed Jesus. The Saviour had said that only through Himself could men receive a knowledge of God. He had spoken of His disciples as the ones to whom a knowledge of heavenly things had been given. But He left none to feel themselves shut out from His care and love. All who labor and are heavy-laden may come unto Him. {DA 328.2}

Scribes and rabbis, with their punctilious attention to religious forms, had a sense of want that rites of penance could never satisfy. Publicans and sinners might pretend to be content with the sensual and earthly, but in their hearts were distrust and fear. Jesus looked upon the distressed and heart burdened, those whose hopes were blighted, and who with earthly joys were seeking to quiet the longing of the soul, and He invited all to find rest in Him. {DA 328.3}

Tenderly He bade the toiling people, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” {DA 328.4}

In these words Christ is speaking to every human being. Whether they know it or not, all are weary and heavy-laden. All are weighed down with burdens that only Christ can remove. The heaviest burden that we bear is the burden of sin. If we were left to bear this burden, it would crush us. But the Sinless One has taken our place. “The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isa. 53:6. He has borne the burden of our guilt. He will take the load from our weary shoulders. He will give us rest. The burden of care and sorrow also He will bear. He invites us to cast all our care upon Him; for He carries us upon His heart. {DA 328.5}

The Elder Brother of our race is by the eternal throne. He looks upon every soul who is turning his face toward Him as the Saviour. He knows by experience what are the weaknesses of humanity, what are our wants, and where lies the strength of our temptations; for He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. He is watching over you, trembling child of God. Are you tempted? He will deliver. Are you weak? He will strengthen. Are you ignorant? He will enlighten. Are you wounded? He will heal. The Lord “telleth the number of the stars;” and yet “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Ps. 147:4, 3. “Come unto Me,” is His invitation. Whatever your anxieties and trials, spread out your case before the Lord. Your spirit will be braced for endurance. The way will be opened for you to disentangle yourself from embarrassment and difficulty. The weaker and more helpless you know yourself to be, the stronger will you become in His strength. The heavier your burdens, the more blessed the rest in casting them upon the Burden Bearer. The rest that Christ offers depends upon conditions, but these conditions are plainly specified. They are those with which all can comply. He tells us just how His rest is to be found. {DA 329.1}

“Take My yoke upon you,” Jesus says. The yoke is an instrument of service. Cattle are yoked for labor, and the yoke is essential that they may labor effectually. By this illustration Christ teaches us that we are called to service as long as life shall last. We are to take upon us His yoke, that we may be co-workers with Him. {DA 329.2}

The yoke that binds to service is the law of God. The great law of love revealed in Eden, proclaimed upon Sinai, and in the new covenant written in the heart, is that which binds the human worker to the will of God. If we were left to follow our own inclinations, to go just where our will would lead us, we should fall into Satan’s ranks and become possessors of his attributes. Therefore God confines us to His will, which is high, and noble, and elevating. He desires that we shall patiently and wisely take up the duties of service. The yoke of service Christ Himself has borne in humanity. He said, “I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart.” Ps. 40:8. “I came down

from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.” John 6:38. Love for God, zeal for His glory, and love for fallen humanity, brought Jesus to earth to suffer and to die. This was the controlling power of His life. This principle He bids us adopt. {DA 329.3}

There are many whose hearts are aching under a load of care because they seek to reach the world’s standard. They have chosen its service, accepted its perplexities, adopted its customs. Thus their character is marred, and their life made a weariness. In order to gratify ambition and worldly desires, they wound the conscience, and bring upon themselves an additional burden of remorse. The continual worry is wearing out the life forces. Our Lord desires them to lay aside this yoke of bondage. He invites them to accept His yoke; He says, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” He bids them seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and His promise is that all things needful to them for this life shall be added. Worry is blind, and cannot discern the future; but Jesus sees the end from the beginning. In every difficulty He has His way prepared to bring relief. Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us, of which we know nothing. Those who accept the one principle of making the service and honor of God supreme will find perplexities vanish, and a plain path before their feet. {DA 330.1}

Let the words of the apostle, spoken so clearly and distinctly, and with such tenderness and love, break down every barrier. Let God’s people make earnest, thorough work for repentance. Do not be zealous to humble one another. Humble yourselves. Take hold of your own case, and by humble confession stand clear before God. Confess your faults to one another, that you may be healed. How many there are who are carrying a load of unconfessed wrong-doing. They try to shape matters so that their dignity will not be hurt. To make wrongs right from the very first departure, looks to them like extinguishing themselves. They think that if they did this, their usefulness would be destroyed. If they would cease this reasoning, and place themselves in the hands of God, to let Him work out His will in them, how much safer they would be. Delaying the confession of injustice to others is the most dangerous course that can be followed. Thus a compromise is made with Satanic agencies. The burden of unconfessed sin is the heaviest burden that can be borne. Jesus, the great burden-bearer, asks you to transfer your load to Him. Draw nigh to God, and never again separate from Him. Satan shuns the company of those with whom he was once connected in the heavenly courts. {ST, October 30, 1901 par. 12}

It can really destroy your soul. As David said my sins are too heavy for me and they are crushing the life out of me. Jesus came and he sought men who were weary of this heavy burden. Many of the poor weary souls Jesus relieved. Their lives changed and their sins were forgiven. The religious leaders of that time had very little sympathy for the sinner and instead of seeking to lift these poor souls out of the pit, they were ready to push them further down into the pit and to condemn them as hopeless. They were very unsympathetic and in saying all this about having sympathy for the poor sinner.

Christ hates the sin, but loves the sinner. This will be the spirit of all who follow Him. Christian love is slow to censure, quick to discern penitence, ready to forgive, to encourage, to set the wanderer in the path of holiness, and to stay his feet therein. {DA 462.4}

This is what Christian love is like. Men are the opposite for they hate the sinner while they love the sin. The Pharisees hated them but they loved sin. Christ is the opposite – he hates the sin, but loves the sinner and all those that follow Christ will have his spirit also. What we want to dwell on first is how men hate the sinner and love the sin.

Brethren, we need to fall on the Rock and be broken. Then we shall have the melting, subduing love of Jesus in our hearts. We shall follow the example of Jesus and of the angels, and not be like the Pharisees, who were proud, hard-hearted, and unsympathetic. God is not willing that even the lowest and most degraded should perish. In what light, then, can you regard any neglect of those who need your help? {HM, February 1, 1892 par. 10}

Christ has laid down rules to prevent unhappy divisions, but how many in our churches have followed his directions? “If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and [tell it to every one you meet?] tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.” If the instructions which Christ has given were followed out in the spirit that every true Christian should have–if each, when aggrieved, would go to the offending member, and seek in kindness to correct the wrong by privately telling him of his fault, many a grievous trial would be averted. {HM, February 1, 1892 par. 11}

The Pharisees had no time for sinners and in Luke 18:11 we have a good example of their attitude.

Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

That is the attitude of the Pharisee, he hates the sinner – adulterers, publicans “I’m not like them” he says. Those horrible people they are sinners. That is the attitude of man. We need to be careful that we don’t have this in our own attitude. Again we see this attitude coming in our humanity and it is a terrible attitude that we want to avoid or be rid of. This is the attitude that the disciples had too.

John 9:1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

The disciples asked Jesus why was this man born blind, he must be a sinner. Jesus goes and heals this man on the Sabbath. The blind man then goes in before the Pharisees and they examine him.

John 9:13 They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.

14 And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.

15 Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes and I washed, and do see.

16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he cheeped not the Sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

The Pharisees even thought Jesus was a sinner because he healed a man on the Sabbath day. This was their attitude.

John 9:26 Then said they unto him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes.

27 He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? Will ye also be his disciples?

V28 Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses’ disciples. (this is what they were like and finally in V34 they threw him out.)

V34 They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.

This poor old blind man that Jesus healed, the Pharisees said to him “you’re a sinner” and they chucked him out. Man hates the sinner. That’s his attitude and they hated this sinner too. We see another way that man hates the sinner – it comes out in many ways. Jesus was invited by Simon to this feast and we know that Mary Madeline anointed his feet there. What did Simon think about that?

Luke 7:39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, this man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

That was Simon talking “This woman is a sinner –she is an adulteress.” Jesus should have known that it was terrible to be contaminated by her – have her touch his feet. That’s what Simon thought. He despised her and that’s what is written too.

Simon had led into sin the woman he now despised. She had been deeply wronged by him. By the two debtors of the parable, Simon and the woman were represented. Jesus did not design to teach that different degrees of obligation should be felt by the two persons, for each owed a debt of gratitude that never could be repaid. But Simon felt himself more righteous than Mary, and Jesus desired him to see how great his guilt really was. He would show him that his sin was greater than hers, as much greater as a debt of five hundred pence exceeds a debt of fifty pence. {DA 566.5}

There is no other ground of peace than this. The grace of Christ received into the heart, subdues enmity; it allays strife and fills the soul with love. He who is at peace with God and his fellow men cannot be made miserable. Envy will not be in his heart; evil surmisings will find no room there; hatred cannot exist. The heart that is in harmony with God is a partaker of the peace of heaven and will diffuse its blessed influence on all around. The spirit of peace will rest like dew upon hearts weary and troubled with worldly strife. {AG 320.3}

Hatred cannot exist in that heart that is filled with Christ. But if we are not filled with the grace of Christ we are just like the Pharisees. They were all filled with hate and they hated Jesus.

John 8:37
I know that ye are Abraham’s seed: but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. (That’s what the Pharisees had in their heart toward Jesus – murder.)

V40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.)

Now you seek to kill me because I have told you the truth. That’s what they were like.

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murder from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

That is Satan. The Pharisees were of their father the devil because they loved sin and accusing people. They didn’t like Jesus because he brought light and truth

John 3:19
And this is the condemnation, that light came into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

The Pharisees loved the darkness, they didn’t like the light when it came to them because they loved their sin. Jesus loved the sinner but he hated the sin. All the Pharisees hated the sinner and they want to stone the sinner who had committed adultery and before they were about to stone the woman, Jesus stooped down and wrote the intimate sins of their lives in the sand.

John 8:9 And they which heared it being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, Where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?

11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

Jesus loved her but he didn’t like the sin did he because he said to her go and sin no more. Here is another example of how Jesus loves the sinner. Do you remember the man that was let down from the roof? The experience of the man with the palsy that was healed. Why did he have the palsy?

His disease was the result of a life of sin, and his sufferings were embittered by remorse. (he was sorry, he had lived a terrible life and wrecked his health and now he couldn’t even walk) He had long before appealed to the Pharisees and doctors, hoping for relief from mental suffering and physical pain. (he had gone to the Pharisees and the doctors and appealed to them and said – Please help me?) But they coldly pronounced him incurable, and abandoned him to the wrath of God. The Pharisees regarded affliction as an evidence of divine displeasure, and they held themselves aloof from the sick and the needy. Yet often these very ones who exalted themselves as holy were more guilty than the sufferers they condemned. {DA 267.2}

The palsied man was entirely helpless, and, seeing no prospect of aid from any quarter, he had sunk into despair. Then he heard of the wonderful works of Jesus. He was told that others as sinful and helpless as he had been healed; even lepers had been cleansed. And the friends who reported these things encouraged him to believe that he too might be cured if he could be carried to Jesus. But his hope fell when he remembered how the disease had been brought upon him. He feared that the pure Physician would not tolerate him in His presence. {DA 267.3}

Yet it was not physical restoration he desired so much as relief from the burden of sin. If he could see Jesus, and receive the assurance of forgiveness and peace with Heaven, he would be content to live or die, according to God’s will. The cry of the dying man was, Oh that I might come into His presence! There was no time to lose; already his wasted flesh was showing signs of decay. He besought his friends to carry him on his bed to Jesus, and this they gladly undertook to do. But so dense was the crowd that had assembled in and about the house where the Saviour was, that it was impossible for the sick man and his friends to reach Him, or even to come within hearing of His voice. {DA 267.4}

Then he who had been borne on a litter to Jesus rises to his feet with the elasticity and strength of youth. The life-giving blood bounds through his veins. Every organ of his body springs into sudden activity. The glow of health succeeds the pallor of approaching death. “And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.” {DA 269.3}

Jesus loves the sinner and he spoke a word in due season to those who were weary and suffering. A word in due season and how good it is. Paul is writing here to Timothy.

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

We know what a word “in season” is, but what is a word “out of season?” Is that an uncalled for remark? Mabe we should look at the example of Jesus when he said a word out of season. Jesus said a word out of season.

John 4:5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

V6 Now Jacob’s well was there, Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

V7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

V8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat (food)

V9 Then sayeth the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

Indeed this was a word out of season because the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans, the Jews hated the Samaritans. Not only that Jesus was having the conversation with a Samaritan woman. Was she a sinner? Absolutely, she was an adulteress.

John 4:16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, can come hither.

17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband.

18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

What was the result of this conversation? Jesus was invited into the city of the Samaritans which were the enemies of the Jews because they hated them.

John 4:39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believe on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, “He told me all that ever I did.”

V40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there tow days.

V41And many more believed because of his own word.

Many of these Samaritans began to believe on Jesus?

The stay of Jesus in Samaria was designed to be a blessing to His disciples, who were still under the influence of Jewish bigotry. They felt that loyalty to their own nation required them to cherish enmity toward the Samaritans. They wondered at the conduct of Jesus.(They didn’t understand why Jesus was labouring for the Samaritans) They could not refuse to follow His example, and during the two days in Samaria, fidelity to Him kept their prejudices under control; (they kept their loyalty to Jesus but they didn’t really like it) yet in heart they were unreconciled. (The disciples weren’t reconciled to this people because they didn’t really like them.) They were slow to learn that their contempt and hatred must give place to pity and sympathy. {DA 193.4}

The Saviour is still carrying forward the same work as when He proffered the water of life to the woman of Samaria. Those who call themselves His followers may despise and shun the outcast ones; (ARE WE LIKE THAT) but no circumstance of birth or nationality, no condition of life, can turn away His love from the children of men. To every soul, however sinful, Jesus says, If thou hadst asked of Me, I would have given thee living water. {DA 194.1}

Jesus will love them even if men don’t. As sinners ourselves we don’t always like people and their grotesque sins but Jesus loves them and he died for them even if they don’t recognize it. Jesus loves the sinner and this is an absolute truth. Do you know that this truth Satan has deserted? You know how he perverts this truth. He gets this truth and he stretches it right out to its very limits of credibility and he invents doctrines such as universalism like Jesus is so loving that everyone is going to heaven, the whole world, because Jesus had so much sympathy for the sinner. In the garden of Eden Satan said to Eve “you shall surely not die because God is such a loving compassionate being, full of sympathy, a God of love, don’t worry he will excuse your sin because you’re not such a bad person after all. That’s what he told her – look at you – You’re doing good things aren’t you? Satan soothes the conscience and says oooh God is such a sympathetic being he will excuse your sin. And Satan uses people to actually preach this deception in the churches – they ministers preach Jesus has so much sympathy for sinner that you can just keep on going as you are and …you will be alright. He will excuse you. Excusing us is not necessarily justification is it?

God has no sympathy with the evil-doer. He gives no one liberty to gloss over the sins of his people, nor to cry, “Peace! peace!” when he has declared that there shall be no peace for the wicked. Those who stir up rebellion against the servants whom God sends to deliver his messages, are rebelling against the word of the Lord.– Vol. 4, p. 185.

Jeremiah at this time was sent to warn the people because of the coming destruction of Israel by Babylon. He was warning them to repent of their sins and all the false prophets were saying DON’T LISTEN TO JEREMIAH, and all the false prophets were trying to settle the people down by saying DON’T WORRY GOD WILL EXCUSE YOUR SIN. ALL IS WELL, PEACE, PEACE. These prophets didn’t love the people did they? If they loved the people they would have warned them what was going to happen. Just like the ministers now should be trying to warn the people.

Jeremiah 23:14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies; they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that non doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

The prophets were strengthening the hands of the wicked ones. So if we are going to have Christ like sympathy for souls we cannot gloss over sin and palliate it and make it OK and settle the people down because Isn’t sin sin? The transgression of God’s Law? It’s fatal isn’t it because God says “The soul that sinneth it shall die” but Satan says “Oh you won’t die”. If we don’t warn people do we love that person? No. Really if we want to be sympathetic to the people as Jesus was to the poor sinners, we must warn them too and not drift into a sympathy for sin where we gloss over it and make it appear less offensive.

There is a sympathy for sin and sinners that is dangerous to the prosperity of the church at the present day. You must have charity is the cry. But that sentiment that would excuse wrong and shield the guilty, is not the charity of the Bible. The friendship of the wicked

is more dangerous than their enmity; for none can prevail against the servants of the living God, except by tempting them to disobedience. {ST, January 6, 1881 par. 13}

This is written is reference to Balaam who was bringing in the Midianite women into the camp and they were dangerous to the prosperity of the church at that time. There needs to be discernment between the sympathy that Jesus had for sinners when everyone else didn’t and a sympathy for sin and sinners that is dangerous to the prosperity to the church. This sentiment would excuse wrong and shield the guilty so that they are not led to repentance– this is not the charity or love of the bible. If we excuse wrongs and are shielding guilty people then we don’t really love them. There are two sorts of sympathy. We want to have the one and not the other. One sympathy excuses sinners who are not repentant for their sin so that they just keep on sinning in the church. The other sympathy exercised by Jesus was for sinners who were caught or enslaved to sin but they genuinely sought to be delivered from their sins so that they would overcome.

Those who have in the fear of God ventured out to faithfully meet error and sin, calling sin by its right name, have discharged a disagreeable duty with much suffering of feelings to themselves; but they get the sympathy of but few and suffer the neglect of many. The sympathizers are on the wrong side, and they carry out the purposes of Satan to defeat the design of God. {3T 328.2}

Isn’t that what happened to Jeremiah? He called sin by its right name and no one wanted to listen to him. They threw him in a dirty pit to sink in the mud. Often when we do call sin by its right name, that’s where we end up. But they get sympathy from a few and suffer the neglect of many. The sympathizers are on the wrong side.

Reproofs always hurt human nature. Many are the souls that have been destroyed by the unwise sympathy of their brethren; for, because the brethren sympathized with them, they thought they must indeed have been abused, and that the reprover was all wrong and had a bad spirit. The only hope for sinners in Zion is to fully see and confess their wrongs, and put them away. Those who step in to destroy the edge of sharp reproof that God sends, saying that the reprover was partly wrong and the reproved was not just right, please the enemy. Any way that Satan can devise to make the reproofs of none effect will accomplish his design. Some will lay blame upon the one whom God has sent with a message of warning, saying, He is too severe; and in so doing they become responsible for the soul of the sinner whom God desired to save, and to whom, because He loved him, He sent correction, that he might humble his soul before God and put his sins from him. These false sympathizers will have an account to settle with the Master by-and-by for their work of death. {3T 329.1}

For persons who should be confess their sins and repenting of their ways, to sympathise with them in their wrongs blunts the work of God. There are two sorts of sympathies. So in the first part there is so much sympathy for the sinner but if we don’t have the second part we don’t have balance because we realize that we can’t go along with wrong.

James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

I wish you, my brethren, to bear in mind that Bible religion never destroys human sympathy. True Christian courtesy needs to be taught and acted, to be carried into all your intercourse with your brethren and with worldlings. There is need of far more love and courtesy in our families than is now revealed. When our ministering brethren shall drink in the spirit of Christ daily, they will be truly courteous, and will not consider it weakness to be tenderhearted and pitiful, for this is one of the principles of the gospel of Christ. Christ’s teaching softened and subdued the soul. The truth received into the heart will work a renovation in the soul. Those who love Jesus will love the souls for whom He died. The truth planted in the heart will reveal the love of Jesus and its transforming power. Anything harsh, sour, critical, domineering, is not of Christ, but proceeds from Satan. Coldness, heartlessness, want of tender sympathy, are leavening the camp of Israel. If these evils are permitted to strengthen as they have done for some years in the past, our churches will be in a deplorable condition. Every teacher of the truth needs the Christlike principle in his character. There will be no frowns, no scolding, no expressions of contempt, on the part of any man who is cultivating the graces of Christianity. He feels that he must be a partaker of the divine nature, and he must be replenished from the exhaustless fountain of heavenly grace, else he will lose the milk of human kindess out of his soul. We must love men for Christ’s sake. It is easy for the natural heart to love a few favorites, and to be partial to these special few; but Christ bids us love one another as He has loved us. “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” {TM 156.1}

We should always be sympathetic but not for sin. If sin strengthens in the church what a deplorable condition will be reached. If we don’t have the divine nature we will be contemptuous. We must love men for Christ’s sake. We need to love everyone even though it is difficult. Jesus loved the poor sinful souls but he never palliated their sins, he told them to “go and sin no more and he loved them”

Amen.